Tonawanda Kardex
Encyclopedia
The Tonawanda Kardex was an American football
team active between 1916 and 1921. It played its games in City of Tonawanda, New York, a suburb of Buffalo
with close ties to North Tonawanda, New York
where American Kardex was founded. The team is most notable for its one game as a member of the National Football League
, the shortest lived team in the league's history.
field, sometimes drawing up to 3,500 fans for a game. For the team's entire history, they were coached by Syracuse
standout Walter "Tam" Rose
. In 1917, they defeated the Rochester Jeffersons
for the state championship
. In 1919, they made the state playoffs, but lost in the semifinals to the Buffalo Prospects
, who went on to win the title.
The 1920 All Tonawanda Lumberjacks were a very successful team, garnering a record of 7-1 against two local American Professional Football Association (the predecessor to the NFL) franchises and other independent teams, only allowing more than 6 points in one of their contests (the one loss, a 35-0 decision to Buffalo). Their last game of the season against the Rochester Jeffersons
was among the first Thanksgiving Classic
s.
Prior to 1921, the team played its home games at Tonawanda High School; however, their lone game in the NFL was an away game, and according to contemporary news reports, the team had intended to play as a traveling team
had it continued beyond one game. NFL records list the nonexistent and spurious "Lumbermen Stadium" as the team's home field.
The 1921 season
began much like the first, with a 0-0 tie against the Syracuse Pros
, followed by a 9-7 win against the Cleveland Panthers
. A game against the Rochester Scalpers scheduled for November was canceled; instead, on November 6, 1921, the Kardex traveled to Rochester to face the Rochester Jeffersons
, where they played their worst game in existence—a 45-0 blowout loss to the Jeffs in front of 2,700 fans.
Considering that Syracuse and Rochester were two teams that Tonawanda had beaten handily in 1920, team management realized that the team was no longer fit to play at the top level that would be required of the top professional league in the United States
, and so the Lumbermen folded. However records from the Pro Football Researchers Association indicate that Tonawanda had trouble scheduling games due to a lack of opponents. The NFL's franchise fee for 1922 also increased from $50 to $1,000, making it harder for Tonawanda play a second season in the league.
Whether or not the team continued to exist is somewhat unclear. Records from 1925 show that the Buffalo Football Bisons
played an exhibition game
against a team from Tonawanda prior to the 1925 regular season
, but it's not known if it's the same Tonawanda team as the APFA/NYPFL franchise.
The "Lumberjacks" name is currently in use by North Tonawanda High School
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team active between 1916 and 1921. It played its games in City of Tonawanda, New York, a suburb of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
with close ties to North Tonawanda, New York
North Tonawanda, New York
North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 31,568 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its south border...
where American Kardex was founded. The team is most notable for its one game as a member of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, the shortest lived team in the league's history.
Early history
The Tonawanda Kardex began playing games in 1916 as the All-Tonawanda All-Stars. They played their home games on the Tonawanda High SchoolTonawanda High School
Tonawanda High School is a public high school located in the City of Tonawanda, New York. It is part of the Tonawanda City School District. The school's football field was at one time the home of the Tonawanda Kardex, a professional football team, who achieved fame by playing in just one game as a...
field, sometimes drawing up to 3,500 fans for a game. For the team's entire history, they were coached by Syracuse
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
standout Walter "Tam" Rose
Tam Rose
Walter Sumner "Tam" Rose was a professional football player in the National Football League with the Tonawanda Kardex. He served as the team's halfback as well as head coach. Before joining the NFL, Rose was a captain of the Syracuse University football team from 1913-1915...
. In 1917, they defeated the Rochester Jeffersons
Rochester Jeffersons
The Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...
for the state championship
New York Pro Football League
The New York Pro Football League was a professional American football league active in the 1910s and based in upstate New York, primarily Western New York. Between 1920 and 1921, the league's best teams were absorbed into the National Football League, though none survive in that league today...
. In 1919, they made the state playoffs, but lost in the semifinals to the Buffalo Prospects
Buffalo (NFL)
Buffalo, New York had a turbulent, early-era National Football League team that operated under three different names and several different owners between the 1910s and 1920s...
, who went on to win the title.
The 1920 All Tonawanda Lumberjacks were a very successful team, garnering a record of 7-1 against two local American Professional Football Association (the predecessor to the NFL) franchises and other independent teams, only allowing more than 6 points in one of their contests (the one loss, a 35-0 decision to Buffalo). Their last game of the season against the Rochester Jeffersons
Rochester Jeffersons
The Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...
was among the first Thanksgiving Classic
Thanksgiving Classic
The National Football League's Thanksgiving Classic is a series of games played during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It has been a regular occurrence since the league's inception in 1920. Since 2006, three games are played every Thanksgiving...
s.
Tonawanda in the NFL
With their 1920 success (and a crackdown by the NFL on playing non-league teams), the Lumberjacks joined the league in 1921 as the Tonawanda Lumbermen or Tonawanda Kardex, named for (and presumably sponsored by) the office supply company of the same name, still in business today.http://www.kardex.comPrior to 1921, the team played its home games at Tonawanda High School; however, their lone game in the NFL was an away game, and according to contemporary news reports, the team had intended to play as a traveling team
Traveling team
In professional team sports, a traveling team is a member of a professional league that never or rarely competes in its home arena or stadium. This differs from a barnstorming team in that the latter does not compete within a league or association framework...
had it continued beyond one game. NFL records list the nonexistent and spurious "Lumbermen Stadium" as the team's home field.
The 1921 season
1921 Tonawanda Kardex season
The 1921 Tonawanda Kardex season was their sole season in the National Football League, in which they played only game. The team finished 0-1 in league play, and tied for eighteenth place in the league.-Schedule:...
began much like the first, with a 0-0 tie against the Syracuse Pros
Syracuse Pros
The Syracuse Pros, also sometimes referred to as the Syracuse Eleven, were a professional American football team from Syracuse, New York. It is suspected, though not known for sure, that the team joined the American Professional Football Association in 1921 and left the same year...
, followed by a 9-7 win against the Cleveland Panthers
Cleveland Panthers
The Cleveland Panthers were a professional American football team that competed in the first American Football League in 1926. Owned by General C. X. Zimmerman , the Panthers played their home games in Luna Bowl in Luna Park...
. A game against the Rochester Scalpers scheduled for November was canceled; instead, on November 6, 1921, the Kardex traveled to Rochester to face the Rochester Jeffersons
Rochester Jeffersons
The Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...
, where they played their worst game in existence—a 45-0 blowout loss to the Jeffs in front of 2,700 fans.
Considering that Syracuse and Rochester were two teams that Tonawanda had beaten handily in 1920, team management realized that the team was no longer fit to play at the top level that would be required of the top professional league in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and so the Lumbermen folded. However records from the Pro Football Researchers Association indicate that Tonawanda had trouble scheduling games due to a lack of opponents. The NFL's franchise fee for 1922 also increased from $50 to $1,000, making it harder for Tonawanda play a second season in the league.
Whether or not the team continued to exist is somewhat unclear. Records from 1925 show that the Buffalo Football Bisons
Buffalo (NFL)
Buffalo, New York had a turbulent, early-era National Football League team that operated under three different names and several different owners between the 1910s and 1920s...
played an exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against a team from Tonawanda prior to the 1925 regular season
1925 Buffalo Bisons (NFL) season
The 1925 Buffalo Bisons season was their sixth in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous record against league opponents of 6-5, winning four games...
, but it's not known if it's the same Tonawanda team as the APFA/NYPFL franchise.
The "Lumberjacks" name is currently in use by North Tonawanda High School
North Tonawanda High School
North Tonawanda High School or N.T.H.S., is a public high school located in North Tonawanda, New York. N.T.H.S. is the high school for the North Tonawanda City School District.-Spirit Week:...
.
Season-by-season
| Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6th NYPFL New York Pro Football League The New York Pro Football League was a professional American football league active in the 1910s and based in upstate New York, primarily Western New York. Between 1920 and 1921, the league's best teams were absorbed into the National Football League, though none survive in that league today... |
Tam Rose Tam Rose Walter Sumner "Tam" Rose was a professional football player in the National Football League with the Tonawanda Kardex. He served as the team's halfback as well as head coach. Before joining the NFL, Rose was a captain of the Syracuse University football team from 1913-1915... |
| 1917 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2nd NYPFL | Tam Rose |
| 1919 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3rd NYPFL | Tam Rose |
| 1920 | 7 | 1 | 0 | Nonleague | Tam Rose |
| 1921 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18th | Tam Rose |